Taming and riding dinosaurs are arguably the best parts of ARK: Survival Ascended, making it stand out among other survival sandbox competitors. Each of ARK: Survival Ascended’s dinosaurs has its own uses, with varying strengths and weaknesses across the board. While one dino might excel at harvesting materials, such as berries, another may be a fantastic travel mount with superior speed.
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In some cases, personal taste surely has an impact on which dinosaurs the player decides to tame for different uses. Still, though there are plenty of challenge videos showcasing just how far players can get with one single dinosaur, in most scenarios, players will want to tame the best dinosaurs in each category to reduce the notorious grind necessary to complete the Ark. This article is written from a PvE standpoint, and does not cover the Giganotosaurus, Titanosaur, Quetzal, Carcharodontosaurus or Mosasaurus.
11 Triceratops, The Classic Three-Horned Dino
Makes Arduous Berry Gathering A Thing Of The Past
- 5/5 gathering rates on berries and thatch.
- Reduces incoming damage from the front by 50%.
- Has a charge ability which is useful for getting around.
Easily one of the most recognizable, well-loved, and classic dinosaurs, the Triceratops is a fantastic dino in both the early and mid stages of ARK: Survival Ascended. To tame creatures, players require various materials, including narcoberries, which are gathered from bushes. Gathering berries by hand is a long, arduous process, especially when narcoberries seem to have a much lower harvest rate than some other berries.
The Triceratops has a fantastic berry gathering rate, gathering a much higher number of berries in one click. On top of this, their weight allows them to gather hundreds of berries without being over-encumbered. As well as being an efficient berry-gatherer, a high-level Triceratops can be a decent way of farming Alpha Raptors for levels and loot in the beginning, thanks to their increased defense from the front.
10 Castoroides, The Giant Beaver
An All-Rounded, Wood Chopping Machine
- 5/5 gathering rate on wood.
- Reduces the total weight of wood, stone, fiber, and thatch in its inventory by 50%.
- The Castoroides Saddle can be used as a Smithy.
- Base swimming speed stat of 700.
The Castoroides, a giant beaver, is an extremely versatile mount with many uses, with its most effective job being a wood-gatherer. However, due to its ability to half the weight of any wood, stone, fiber, and thatch in its inventory, the Castoroides can also act as a good pack-mule for material runs. Additionally, the Castoroides is one of few dinosaurs with a unique saddle that allows the player to craft and repair gear on the go, acting as a mobile smithy.
As if all of this wasn’t enough, the giant beaver has a good swimming speed, out-matching most wild dinos. This swim speed makes the Castoroides a decent travel mount, especially in rivers, allowing the player to get around quickly and safely.
9 Basilosaurus, The Gentle Whale
Makes Water Caves A Piece Of Cake
- Immune to dismounts.
- Immune to stuns.
- Produces oil.
- Provides insulation.
The Basilosaurus is a gentle giant of the sea, often seen surrounded by mantas. Tamed through passive methods, the player will need to clear out the Basilo's entourage of dinos before trying to tame it.
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After taming a Basilo, the player will no longer need to fear the Electrophorus and Cnidaria haunting the ocean, making the whale a must-have tame for clearing the underwater caves. As well as being immune to stuns and dismounts, the Basilosaurus provides the player with insulation, keeping the survivor warm in cold seas.
8 Thylacoleo, The Tree Cat
Brilliant For Shredding High-HP Opponents
- Base melee stat of 40.
- Base health stat of 700.
- Its bite applies a bleed which deals 5% of the opponent’s max health over 5 seconds.
- Able to scale walls and climb vertical surfaces.
- Takes reduced fall damage.
The Thylacoleo is one of the best land mounts in ARK: Survival Ascended. The tree cat’s great damage, solid health pool, and brilliant movement speed are thoroughly outmatched by most wild dinos, especially as the Thyla can scale mountains, cliff-edges, and traverse the map with ease.
Furthermore, the Thyla’s 5% max health bleed enables the player to face down tough opponents such as the Alpha Carno, and at higher levels, even Alpha Rex. The bleed is so potent that well-bred Thylas can even be used in groups to take down huge dinosaurs like the Titanosaur.
7 Megatherium, The Giant Sloth
An Insect's Worst Nightmare
- 250% damage increase after killing insects.
- Reduces incoming damage by 75% after killing insects.
The Megatherium is known as the best dino for taking out the Broodmother, a horrifying spider boss in ARK: Survival Ascended, due to its rage mode, which is triggered after killing an insect. Whilst enraged, the Megatherium deals increased damage and reduces incoming damage.
Even a pack of non-bred, high-level Megatherium with base saddles should be able to take out the Beta-level Broodmother with ease, allowing players to farm for Tek recipes and fragments. The Megatherium’s buff against insects also makes it the perfect candidate for clearing out the swamp cave, which is overrun by deadly, high-level insects.
6 Doedicurus, The Stone Gatherer
Smashes Rocks With Ease
- 5/5 gathering rate for stone.
- Reduces the total weight of carried stone by 75%.
- Has a useful rolling ability to get around.
The Doedicurus has one job and one job only: gather stone and be incredibly good at it. It’s safe to say it smashes this task, making the slow process of gathering stone a thing of the past once the player successfully tames a Doedic.
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As well as being an amazing stone-gatherer, the Doedic has the additional benefit of reducing the weight of carried stone by 75%, allowing the player to embark on huge stone-gathering missions with ease. While the Doedic is slow, it does have a rolling ability that drains stamina but allows it to move around a little quicker. Alternatively, the player can pick up their Doedic with an Argentavis for even faster gathering.
5 Ankylosaurus, The Metal Gatherer
A Must-Have Dino For Metal Runs
- 5/5 gathering rates on metal, flint, and crystal.
- 4/5 gathering rates on oil, berries, and obsidian.
- Reduces the total weight of carried metal by 85%.
The metal-collecting variant of the Doedicurus, the Ankylosaurus is an extremely effective metal gatherer, gathering more metal from a single node than other methods, as well as reducing the total weight of carried metal by 85%.
On top of being an effective metal-gathering dino, the Anky is quite good at obtaining flint, obsidian, oil, and crystal, too, thanks to its pick-like tail. The best method of gathering metal with the Anky is to pick it up with an Argentavis and allow it to passively harvest from metal nodes, as both dinos reduce the total weight of carried metal.
4 Therizinosaurus, The Big Clawed Chicken
The Champion Of Gathering Materials
- 5/5 gathering rates on wood, hide, chitin, keratin, and fiber.
- 4/5 gathering rates on berries and organic polymer.
- Base melee stat of 52.
- Base health stat of 870.
- Great option for defeating the Dragon boss.
The Therizinosaurus is a goofy, long-nailed, bird-like terror with insane gathering rates and high damage. As one of the few aggressive herbivores on the Ark, the Theri is not to be approached unless the player has a strong mount and even stronger courage.
Excelling at multiple types of gathering, including chitin/ keratin and organic polymer, the Theri is an amazing mid to late-game mount. In addition to its incredibly high gather rates, the Therizinosaurus is one of the best dino options for clearing the Dragon, an ARK: Survival Ascended boss, as it is unaffected by the Dragons' special passive which deals greater damage to carnivores.
3 Argentavis, The Jack Of All Trades Flier
Excellent For Traversing The Island
- Fantastic travel mount.
- Able to pick up small to medium dinosaurs.
- Lowers the weight of carried metal by 50%.
- Has a unique saddle type that allows the player to repair gear.
The Argentavis is arguably the best creature on The Island in ARK: Survival Ascended due to its flexibility as a mount. Able to pick up and carry most medium creatures, including the Thylacoleo, the Argie makes the taming of these dinos incredibly easy.
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On top of being an effective dino-collector, the Argentavis can carry both the Doedicurus and Ankylosaurus, fly them over rocks, and let the two dinosaurs passively gather the materials from metal nodes and rocks. Furthermore, the unique saddle type of the Argentavis allows the player to repair gear on the go.
2 Yutyrannus, The Fluffy Rex
Provides Incredible Buffs For Allies
- Base metal stat of 55.
- Base health stat of 1100.
- Courage Roar enhances the damage dealt by allied dinosaurs by 25% and reduces incoming damage by 20%.
- Fear Roar terrifies enemy creatures, making them take 50% more damage while reducing their damage output by 30%.
There’s nothing worse than traversing the already dangerous snowy landscape and hearing the roar of a Yutyrannus nearby. Spawning primarily in the snow biome, the fluffy cousin of the Rex is a fantastic battle dinosaur that buffs its allies while applying huge debuffs to its enemies.
With an equal base health stat to the Rex and a small damage difference, the fluffy dinosaur can be used as a strong, supportive dino during boss fights, buffing the chosen army of dinosaurs with massive boosts to their damage output, while reducing incoming damage by a large margin.
1 Tyrannosaurus Rex, The Famous Prehistoric Terror
The Best Dinosaur For Bosses
- Base melee stat of 62.
- Base health stat of 1100.
The famous Rex reigns supreme in ARK: Survival Ascended as the best boss-fighting dinosaur. With a huge base-health stat and incredible damage, a pack of tamed Rex has little-to-no difficulty tearing through ARK: Survival Ascended’s higher-level bosses.
While the Rex lacks a unique ability, functioning purely as a left-click damage bot, simply sitting atop an apex predator while it demolishes its opponents in a few bites is core to the ARK: Survival Ascended experience. Through breeding, the player can stack melee mutations, creating the ultimate Rex; a devastating force to trample the Ark with.
Ark: Survival Ascended
- Platform(s)
- PC , PS5 , Xbox Series X , Xbox Series S
- Released
- October 26, 2023
- Developer(s)
- Studio Wildcard
- Genre(s)
- Survival , Open-World
